Quick announcement Juneau: COHO FISHING IS NOT OVER!

It seems like a lot of anglers have hung it up for the season, but there are still decent numbers of coho around and quite a few of them are in good shape. Without a doubt, the peak of the run is behind us. Limiting out at this point is pretty unlikely. But if you go out with the attitude of enjoying some late fall fishing, finding a lot less anglers around, and hopefully catching a coho, then you will have a great time.

There are plenty of fairly bright coho still around, like this one from September 23rd.

The huge tides last weekend flushed a bunch of fish out of Sheep Creek and up the channel. But definitely not all of them and there are even fresh fish filling back in at Sheep Creek. As always the fishing goes from "not a fish in sight" to "fish popping all over." Smaller coho flies seem to be fishing a bit better these days. Clouser Minnows in Chartreuse/White, Tutti Fruiti & Sexy Shad have all been good. Polar Starlite Leeches in UV Pearl/Fuschia and Pearl/Chartreuse have also done well. Plus after a month of chunking Dolly Llamas it feels good to cast something that is lighter on the end of the line. At Sheep Creek the fish are up in the actual creek bed itself now. They push in with the flooding tide and if you are careful about where you wade you can get at them. They are also along the beach out by the big channel marker or the flat in front of the old Thane Ore House.

Coho on a Sexy Shad Clouser Minnow.

The beaches along Thane Road such as AML, the Slide Path, etc. don't seem to be holding fish as much.

Fishing the incoming tide at Sheep Creek. Note that there are fewer anglers around than a few weeks ago!

If you prefer to fish somewhere other than Sheep Creek, the 5 Mile North Douglas Access has been loaded with fish. 9 Mile Area has also been quite good at the low end of the tide. These fish go through spells of being lock jawed, but they seemed to have relaxed a bit the past few days and are willing to eat flies if you work through the box until you find the right color.

If you want to get a little river fishing in, Cowee Creek out the road is a good bet. It has consistently been producing fish and the weather has been ideal. A little rain but not too much is just right for Cowee Creek. This keeps the river level moderate and the fish happy. The weather forecast for this weekend looks like showers but no big fall storm, so now would be the time to go.

Finally, for those chasing trout, the fishing has been quite good the last week. Cutthroat and some Dollies are in the creeks and lakes and are eager to fill up before winter sets in.

Throw on an extra layer, grab your rain jacket, and go have a bit of fun this weekend! See you on the water.